Rent Onibaba (1964)

Japanese classic - Onibaba review by CP Customer

Onibaba is a stunning piece of cinema, my favourite Japanese film and I've certainly seen a few over the years. It is a simple film, with a small cast and setting that allows the storyline to prosper. A mother and daughter exist by attracting samurai warriors and killing them for their own needs. Living amongst a landscape of tall grass, only they seem to know their way around. Warriors weakened by combat cannot help but fall under their spell and once their guard is lowered, their end is only a matter of time. Things all change when a warrior with a distinctive mask falls into their clutches. This black and white film is full of powerful imagery and atmospheric traditional music. Despite being filmed in 1964 it surprises with the imaginative use of camera angles and rapid editing. The vivid world Shindo-san creates, will remain with you long after the film has finished.

Pleasant and unnerving at the same time - Onibaba review by CP Customer

Reminded me a bit of Knife In The Water as it shows slightly sinister human behaviour surrounded by very pleasant scenery.

The story itself felt like it had it's roots in some ancient tale, where instinct gets the better of people.

Spooky Classic. - Onibaba review by Steve

Ominous period drama with supernatural themes and a few moments of genuine horror. This is most memorable for its location, staged in meadows of tall dark grass which sways over the heads of the astonishingly pragmatic protagonists… set in feudal medieval Japan during a long civil war.

The mother and wife of a missing conscripted soldier survive by murdering samurai warriors and selling their armour and weapons, dumping the corpses in a deep abyss. His companion (Kei Satô) flees the war and reports the son/husband dead. Then has sex with the young widow (Jitsuko Yoshimura) while rejecting the older woman (Nobuko Otowa)...

And then things get really strange, with the appearance of a mysterious warlord in a demon mask. The dense eeriness of the period is engulfed by the uncanny, drawing on mythic buddhist legend. And the final, spine chilling sensation that all of this is intended to represent the horror of Hiroshima.

This superstitious, primitive, lawless society may even imply a post-apocalyptic future… Well, that’s my interpretation! The superior widescreen b&w photography, the sound editing, the weird jazz/percussive score… this is high quality cinema; an unorthodox historical spectacle like no other.